A Sacred Journey with Plants

I've always been a Nature loving person, for most of my life being in a tree was far more exciting than going to the mall. But I could not have imagined that my path would take me into deep relationship with Ancient plant teachers.

Now I know what you are thinking, I'm about to sprout a journey about meeting Ayahuasca or some other psychedelic teacher, but no, my journey is about finding the power and depth in the not so obvious, connecting with the Wise Teachers that don't need to blow your socks off or take you on a wild journey to expose you to another way of being. Don't get me wrong, for some that is their path, and those teachers have their place in the world too.

My journey however has reminded me that there is power in the most overlooked, the teachers that are on your door step, the ones that have come to you, that you don't even need to seek out. If we will slow down, open our eyes and be curious about what is present in our world, we will discover that we don't need to search out that which can support us, we simply need to pay attention.

Earlier this year, the plants began to speak louder, and in an effort to come into a space of better health and help my children along that path, I enrolled in a herbalist course. Now the course is amazing, and there is so much to learn, but in the true nature of life, the real learning is not what I read, or watch, but what I experience and discover when I am open to the Wisdom of the plants.

What I have discovered is that each plant, has it's own unique beauty and intelligence much like meeting a person. They hold their own offerings, their own unique personality and their own way of teaching you. Calendula has been a great first teacher, gentle, patient, present, in the moment. She opened me to a new way of being with the plants, of receiving from them, of embodying their wisdom. She has taught me much but also only what I am ready for.

What has stood out for me more than anything else is how these plants not only assist our bodies, but our minds, hearts and spirits. Their offerings go far beyond that of bringing our physical bodies into balance. I learnt that the hard way with Blue Vervain, when I ingested her for weeks for neck and shoulder tension without considering the energetic component of that tension. When I stopped, all the beliefs, insecurities, challenges and overwhelm around it surfaced like a volcano.

What I learnt is that you cannot expect to resolve physical imbalances without dealing with the underlying cause, the emotions and the root cause of why they have manifested in the first place.

This profound offering from the plants is often what is missed, what is ignored or most times not even within our field of possibility.

As I walk this path, just at the beginning of the journey, feeling as though I am forging a whole new way of perceiving healing and connection to the Natural world, I am excited to explore, to discover and to deepen in my relationships to Medicinal herbs and plants.

As we slow to the Rhythm of our own heart beats, can we slow down long enough to perceive the Wise and Ancient Teachers all around us?